Trunk stay



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

LOUIS HILLEBRAND, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HILLEBRAND d: VOLF, OF SAME PLACE.

TRU N K-STAY.

PECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 467,481, dated January 19, 1892.

Application filed March 19,1891. Serial No. 385,612. (No model.)

To all witam, it may concrn:

Be it known that I, LoUIs I-IILLEBRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city' and county of Philadelphia, State ofv Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvemcnt in Trunk-Stays, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accoinpanying drawings.

My invention consists of an improvement in the trunk-stay for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 103,181, were granted to me o n the 17th day of May, A. D. 1870, the present construction being designed to avoid the prolongation E shown in said Letters Patent, and also to simplify, sirengthen, and cheapen the article in question, said construction being hereinat'ter fullysetforth and definitely clai med.

Figures 1 and 2 represent side elevations of a trunk-stay in open and closed conditions, the same embodying my invention. Figs. 3- and /represent side elevations of a modification. Figs. 5 and 6 representside elevations of the stay shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as applied to a trunk in open and closed condition.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawngs, A and B designate two pieces of sheet or other metal or material, which are connected by the pivot C and adapted to open and close after the manner of a toggle. On the edge of the pivot end of the piece A is a segmental head D, at the terinination whereof are Shoulders E E. On the face of the piece B, near the edge thereof, is a lug F, which is punched out, stamped, struck up, or otherwise formed on said face, producing a stop, against which each of the Shoulders E is adapted to abut, said stop being concentric with the pivot or aXis O and adapted to ride on said head D.-

.The pieces A I- are pivotally connected with the lid and body of a trunk, or, if desired, a box or other similar article, whereby When the lid is opened or raised said pieces open out, as seen in Fig. 5, producing a stay which prevents the lid from failing backward, and also receiving some of the strain due to the weight of the lid, thus relieving the hinges thereof. Then the lid is closed or lowered, the pieces fold, as will be seen in Fig. 6, and the stay occupies but limited room in the trunk.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the stop is formed 011.

l in said edge.

the end of the piece B, so that during the opening and closing motions of the pieces said stop rides over the segmental head D, as in the previous case, and abuts against either of the Shoulders E, according to the position of the parts, the result in either case being the same-via, the limitation of the opening and closing` inovements of the stay and the bracing of the lid when opened-owing to thrust or abutinent of the stop and either shoulder, on'e against the other.

I am aware that it is not new to provide all of the pieces of a trunk-stay with a segmental slot, which is between the edge of the piece and the pivotal pin. I am also aware that it is not new to prolong one of the pieces and form a struck-u p lug thereon, Wlierefore I disclaim such features.

In my case I utilize the edge of one piece by making the same segmental, thus|v avoiding the Weakening of the piece by slots with- I also locate the struck-np lug so as to be contiguous to the segmental ed'ge, and thus ride upon the same in both closing and opening movements, thus distributing the thrust at all times upon the edge and lug, whereby I produce a Stronger, more compact, and shorter device than heretofore. It will also be seen that the closing motions of the leaves are limited to such eXtent that the free ends of said leaves are held sufficiently apart, as in Figs. 2 and 4, so that when the lid is closed the upper leaf is prevented from passing the center andboth leaves from rotating downwardly, the stay thus retaining the position shown in Fig. 6, the lower leaf remaining near the top of the trunk and the two leaves not being liable'to drop into the body of the trunk.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, wht I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- i A trunk-stay having a leaf with a segmental edge terminating ateach end in a shoulder, said shoulders being also directly on the edge of the leaf, and the other leaf hay ing a struck-up lug which contacts with said edge and is adapted to ride. directly thereon from' shoulder to shoulder, substantially as described.

LOUIS I-IILLEBRAND Witnesses: JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM,

A. P. J ENNINGS. 

